Caster.



R. P. HERON.

GASTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Suva/who'd COLUMBXA PLANOGRAPH cO.. -vAsHlNaTON. D. C.

HOBERT I. IIJSRUN, OF UIIGA, NEW YORK.

CASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jun e 2, 1191 1.

Application filed July as, 1911. Serial No. 646,999.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT P. HERON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to casters for tubular legs and more particularly to a caster of this nature having a leg supporting plate provided with a depending flange constituting an agreeable finish for the end of the leg and extending well down over the horn of the caster thereby effecting an improve ment in appearance. The caster is removably and frictionally retained in any suitable way as by outwardly acting. resilient retaining means of any well known or suitable eharacter, The leg supporting plate is provided with a substantially upright flange constituting internal centering means for coaction with the interior of the tubular leg, the end of the leg resting on the plate j ust below said centering means.

My invention also involves an improved center bearing on the plate. It will of course be obvious that the plate may be made round or of other shape, as square, to suit the shape of the tubular leg.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the caster in place in a tubular leg, the leg being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a central section through the unfinished leg supporting plate. Fig. 3 is a corresponding section through the completed leg supportmg plate. Fig. l is a top perspective wow and Fig. 5 is a bottom per spective view of the leg supporting plate.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the figures thus described, 1 is a caster wheel rotatably mounted in the usual manner on the pin 2 in the horn 3 to which is secured the pintle 4:. The pintle receives and is freely rotatable with respectto the leg supporting plate 5 to be hereinafter more particularly described and is rotatably secured also to the frictional retaining means permitting the removal of the caster from the leg, which I have designated by the reference letter a.

The retaining means which, as suggested above, may be of any well known or suitable character has been illustrated as constituting a socket or frame provided with spring retaining means and similar to that shown in the application of myself and Mr. Ed-

mund Sabo, Serial Number 515.),20d, filed September 23, 1909. The frame d itl'ers from that shown in the said application in that it is not ccmuected to the leg supporting plate and in that the brace for the frame is reversed so that the open side is downward. As the spring retaining means is not claimed herein it not illustrated in detail. Briefly speaking, the retaining frame is U-shaped having upstanding legs (5 provided with down-turned resilient ends 7 exterior to the legs 6 and co-actingwith the interior of the tubular leg as stated. The frame is provided with a brace plate 8 through which the pintle passes and which has at each side an upright flange 9 and at each cud an upright flange 10, the latter being provided with lugs 11 bent around the edge of the legs 6 and thus secured to them. If desired the legs may be notched, as shown, to receive the said lugs.

The leg supporting plate 5 is provided with a substantially upright internal centcring flange 12 immediately below which the metal of the leg supporting plate extends outward constituting a supporting ledge 13 below which again is a depending flange 14, which extends well downward over the horn hiding the upper part thereof. The leg supporting plate is stamped out of sheet metal and may be of brass giving an agreeable finish to the bottom of the leg. The depending flange is preferably flared outwardly since this improves the appearance of the plate.

I have shown the leg supporting plate as provided with an improved center bearing for co-action with the bearing formed on the pintle. This center bearing takes the form of a rib 15 projecting beyond the lower surface of the plate. It may be formed in two operations, this being illus trated by Figs. 2 and 3, the first of which shows merely an upstanding flange 16 surrounding and bordering the hole 17 in the plate. Fig. 3 shows the complete plate after the metal adjacent the flange 16 has been forced down out of the plane of the plate to produce the rib 15 which projects beyond the bottom of the plate as stated and surrounds and borders the hole 17. The rib 15 corresponds with a depression or groove 18 as clearly illustrated, and with the flange 16 which in the completed plate is surrounded by the groove 18. This construction gives a perfectly smooth hearing which is very strong, the plate being also steadied in proper position in relation to the pintle by the flange 16.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A caster for tubular legs comprising a caster wheel, horn and pintle, a leg supporting plate receiving the pintle and with respect to which the pintle is free to turn, said plate having internal centering means for co-action with the interior of the tubular leg and a depending flange forming an ornamental mount at the bottom of the leg surrounding the horn and extending well down over the same, and frictional retaining means acting resiliently outward against the interior of the tubular leg to retain the caster removably in place in the leg.

2. A caster for tubular legs comprising a caster wheel, horn and pintle, a leg support ing plate receiving the pintle and having a substantially upright flange for co-action with the interior of the tubular leg to act as centering means, and an outwardly flared downwardly extending flange below said substantially upright flange constituting a supporting ledge for the tubular leg, and

forming an ornamental mount at the bottom of the leg, said plate surrounding the horn and extending well down over the same, and frictional retaining means acting resiliently outward against the interior of the tubular leg to retain the caster in place in the leg.

3. A leg supporting plate for casters for tubular legs having a central hole and a bearing rib projecting beyond the lower side of the plate surrounding and bordering the hole and formed by forcing out the metal adjacent the hole from the opposite side.

4. A leg supporting plate for tubular legs having a central hole surrounded and bordered on the upper side by an upright flange and on the lower side by a bearing rib projecting beyond the face of the plate and corresponding to said flange and to an annular depression out-side it.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT P. HERON.

l Vitnesses:

JEROME B. GERMAN,

Gr. W. SEYBOLD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Goinmissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

